new beemer

[moot]

John, that's my point, if you had no previous experience of cars and had lived on a deserted planet with empty roads of all kinds, the teutomachines wouldn't be without appeal.
I agree the recent beemers are like sculpted marshmallows left to melt on the barbeque.  
Jackal, who cares about other owners.. like you said, are you wearing your clothes for others or yourself?  Do you prefer Aces High because of its mechanics, or Il2 for its eye candy?  If you had to choose from a dozen planes which one to fly, while blindfolded except once in the cockpit, what would hold your attention?

[SFRT - Frenchy]

AWmac,

My dad hated Beemers, liked the 911. He used to own both in the 80s. He recently drove a friends 5 series and was actually quite impressed with it, ride quality wise.

I don't think you can compare car manufacturers from previous models, especially the ones from before I was born:D

Back on the "topic"
As far as rice rocket/muscle cars/german high dollars, if you compare them you probably don't know much about life. Mine's better is silly, each of them provide a great driving satisfaction and fun factor. Mastering a rear engine Porsche on a twisty road is as fun as mindlessly throwing an AWD car around.

There's plenty of late teenagers videos around , showing their respective street monster pulverizing the "opposition". You see Vtecs smoking diablos, BMWs someking rice rockets, civics smoking big blocks, big blocks pulverizing rice twin turbos. The technology is out there for people with some money to build any type of car in a UFO. At any rate, even if it's an ego thing to say my $30 civic smokes your fancy exotic, the fancy exotic got a level of class/sexyness factor a notch above a huge spoiler flaping in the wind. I would not trade a Modena for a 900HP Supra.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by tikky
The absolute top speed for this car is something left to be desired if you compare this sedan to 2-door exotics like Corvette C6, Viper, and Ferraris.  If you talk about cornering speed now that's a different story.

You can achieve higher speeds at cornering than you thought realistically possible.  It's almost a cheat because of the AWD system they use... I dare say the AWD in EVO and STi are the most advanced in the world and safe and easy to drive as long as you don't fret.

It still shocks me how the engineers at Mitsubishi and Subaru can extract more than 300 hp on a 2 liter engine (size of a milk carton!) and still keep up (or outperform) the 2-door exotics mentioned above.

I've driven this car once and it's really fun (and scary!), especially at twist roads.

Viper is a dog, always has been.   Neither the Viper or a Vette are "Exotics".    Lotus SE made 264hp stock and 280hp with overboost.   The S4s made 300hp from the same 2.2l 4 cylinder.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

They are exotics if you live outside of American borders;)

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy
They are exotics if you live outside of American borders;)

Viper is a steaming pile of cow dung.   I've driven one, acceleration is an issue.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

I've driven a 1996 GTS for a day, and acceleration was not an issue. The ride was very uncomfortable for street driving, very bouncy and the seats are very hard. The positioning of the gas pedal was bugging me out the most, too "flat" forcing me to extend my right foot.

Have you driven a 2002 Z06? Holly smoke that's a thing of beauty to drive (especially when u pick it up on ebay for $31K with 23,000 miles)


Fairly interesting reference table:

under $50K muscle/modern/import 1/4 mile times

[indy007]

Originally posted by tikky
It still shocks me how the engineers at Mitsubishi and Subaru can extract more than 300 hp on a 2 liter engine (size of a milk carton!) and still keep up (or outperform) the 2-door exotics mentioned above.

iirc, a WRX STi is a 2.5l, which is why it doesn't qualify for WRC, and a regular WRX with it's 2.0 does.

Also, the STi's computer says you can't go over... I think it's 138. Plenty fast for stoplight to stoplight racing (which will get you jail + car confiscation now)... but not exactly king of the interstate. Been faster in a 440hp '86 1/2 Supra (and much more scared).

Probably has the best fun for $$ out there... but it has its limitations



Now, lets look at a REALLY fast car

0-60 in 2.6
0-100 in 5.3
0-150 in 11.8
30-70 in 1.8
0-100-0 in 9.4 (true measure of a sports car)
100-0 braking in 3.6
1.176g on the skidpad
204mph on a 1.5mile straight
231mph top speed
Standing quarter mile of 9.9 @ 143mph (< 10sec from the facory)

You can take on Enzos, Koenigsgg, McClarens, Saleens, Jag xj220s, Carrera GTs, Zonda's, Ruf R's, F40s, F50s, the Mercedes SLR,  & any type of Lambo for anywhere between 1/3 to 1/14 of the price, and win consistently.

Brit design + chevy horsepower.

All hail the king.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy


I've driven a 1996 GTS for a day, and acceleration was not an issue. The ride was very uncomfortable for street driving, very bouncy and the seats are very hard. The positioning of the gas pedal was bugging me out the most, too "flat" forcing me to extend my right foot.

Have you driven a 2002 Z06? Holly smoke that's a thing of beauty to drive (especially when u pick it up on ebay for $31K with 23,000 miles)


Fairly interesting reference table:

under $50K muscle/modern/import 1/4 mile times

I drove a 98 RT/10 with a little engine mod work.  (550hp is what the guy claimed - he is a bigwig for Automotive News).   I was left with the feeling that it needed "more".   I beat on it, and noticed how insanely uncomfortable the seats, pedal position, etc was.    

I haven't been in a Z06 yet.

[Grayeagle]

My last project car was a 440 powered '71 plymouth duster .. 3020 lbs with a full tank of gas, ~600hp. (it was *not* stock re: the two 850 Holley's were atop a tunnel ram, etc)

There is no comparison between the Duster and any beemer ever made.
Far more apart than apples and oranges.

Duster made me smile *every* single time I fired it up .. the mufflers right below the door comin off the fenderwell Hookers were LOUD.

At 35mph, in 3rd gear, with street tires on... it would lose traction at half throttle and drift slowly sideways till the steering wheel hit the lock.

With 13" slicks at 10lbs of air pressure.. it took my breath away on launch.
Not many cars could hang with it at the track off the line, 60 foot times were around a second. (time slips are in a photo album that has been packed away for over 10 years .. I would have to dig to get em).
 
Got her runnin in 1976 .. last pass at LACR was in 1991 ..sold it a couple years later. Never broke a motor, wore out a fuel pump and tars .. oh yaa ..she burnt up street tars real guud

Made it to the Bracket finals 4 different years, drove it back an forth to work, cruised Van Nuys, Fremont, E-street, Central in Phx, drove it on tdy from George AFB  to Nellis Red Flag ..17mpg at 80mph.
It was an efficient motor.

I even had it in my driveway when I was at Seymour Johnson AFB ..
..no one in town would race. ("dem California cars -shakes head- ..they just crazy fast" from one of the locals .. LOL)

As for the Z06 vettes .. I have a video from the vette forum ..guy took an IRS 2001 Z06 vette with drag radials in the back an clocked 8.90 at 151 mph in the quarter. Got license plates, drives it every day to work an back.
I believe he mentions usin a centrifugal supercharger and aluminum heads .. basic bolt on stuff. He posted the video on the forum.
Says the car dyno's 500+ hp at the rear wheels.

Now me .. just personal preference .. I'd prefer to squash fart-carts usin a 6-71 and more cubic inches ..say .. around 540 or so to start. Mebbe boost up to a 600+ cubic inch monster motor in a coupla years.
In a 3000lb daily driver.

You know .. when street tires just aren't enough .. etc.

-GE

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Grayeagle
My last project car was a 440 powered '71 plymouth duster .. 3020 lbs with a full tank of gas, ~600hp. (it was *not* stock re: the two 850 Holley's were atop a tunnel ram, etc)

There is no comparison between the Duster and any beemer ever made.
Far more apart than apples and oranges.

Duster made me smile *every* single time I fired it up .. the mufflers right below the door comin off the fenderwell Hookers were LOUD.

At 35mph, in 3rd gear, with street tires on... it would lose traction at half throttle and drift slowly sideways till the steering wheel hit the lock.

With 13" slicks at 10lbs of air pressure.. it took my breath away on launch.
Not many cars could hang with it at the track off the line, 60 foot times were around a second. (time slips are in a photo album that has been packed away for over 10 years .. I would have to dig to get em).
 
Got her runnin in 1976 .. last pass at LACR was in 1991 ..sold it a couple years later. Never broke a motor, wore out a fuel pump and tars .. oh yaa ..she burnt up street tars real guud

Made it to the Bracket finals 4 different years, drove it back an forth to work, cruised Van Nuys, Fremont, E-street, Central in Phx, drove it on tdy from George AFB  to Nellis Red Flag ..17mpg at 80mph.
It was an efficient motor.

I even had it in my driveway when I was at Seymour Johnson AFB ..
..no one in town would race. ("dem California cars -shakes head- ..they just crazy fast" from one of the locals .. LOL)

As for the Z06 vettes .. I have a video from the vette forum ..guy took an IRS 2001 Z06 vette with drag radials in the back an clocked 8.90 at 151 mph in the quarter. Got license plates, drives it every day to work an back.
I believe he mentions usin a centrifugal supercharger and aluminum heads .. basic bolt on stuff. He posted the video on the forum.
Says the car dyno's 500+ hp at the rear wheels.

Now me .. just personal preference .. I'd prefer to squash fart-carts usin a 6-71 and more cubic inches ..say .. around 540 or so to start. Mebbe boost up to a 600+ cubic inch monster motor in a coupla years.
In a 3000lb daily driver.

You know .. when street tires just aren't enough .. etc.

-GE

There is a video with a Civic beating the snot out of a Vette.   Question is this.    
Are you getting more bang for the buck by buying a Vette?  Or is it better to buy a Camaro and make up the difference in mods?   I'd choose the latter.

[wetrat]

Originally posted by GRUNHERZ
Actually the Japanese - Infiniti G35 and Lexus IS350 both have ~ 300HP engines in their 3 series competitors without going to the trouble of Turbos like BMW...

Kinda puzzled about this engine choice...

my guess is for fuel mileage... keeping the beemer at lowish rpm's, the turbos wont spool much, so you'll be getting the mileage of whatever the engine is non-turbo. to get that same power boost non-turbo, you'd most likely end up sacrificing quite a bit of economy.

and besides... cars that come turbo'd stock are always running less boost than the block can handle. think of the fun you can have with that (I'd still go with an evo or a scooby if I wanted to play with boost tho)

[wetrat]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
There is a video with a Civic beating the snot out of a Vette.   Question is this.    
Are you getting more bang for the buck by buying a Vette?  Or is it better to buy a Camaro and make up the difference in mods?   I'd choose the latter.

stock vette? it isn't *too* expensive to get a civic to run faster than a stock vette (when you compare it with buying a brand new car), but even just a supercharged vette with bone stock internals will dust any civic with less than $50k under the hood.

oh, and a civic will only hang from a roll-- traction in a heavily modded civic? nope.. not even an LSD, traction bars and slicks on drag radials will get a boosted civic to hook up.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Grayeagle
IMHO .. beemers an their ilk are 'nice' cars.

I've never owned a 'nice' car.

I prefer the 'dark side'

When street tires are just not enough .. people are dumbfounded when you tell 'em 'yes, I drive this back an forth to work' .. and it's no stretch to run Bracket 1 on weekends .. I figure I am gettin close.

-GE (flips on the fuel pump, watches gauge slam over to 15lbs, eases throttle to 1/4, ..cause baby you DON'T floor it with two 850cfm carbs sittin out there, both with 50cc squirters on 'em! ..hits the starter and all the sounds of the world are blown away by 400+ cubic inches of pure syncopated jazz)

I drove "beaters" that never needed anything more than comprehensive insurance and paid cash for them all. (Exception: Wife and I bought a new 1991 Ford F150 and 1999 Explorer that SHE drove to work, while I drove the beaters!) until my 41st birthday. Then I bought my first new car, BMW 330ci.  Now, I'm a redneck at heart...so you can't paint all your BMW owners with a broad brush. Many friends asked where I was going to put the gun rack...anyway, if you love driving around curves twice as fast as anyone except a Porsche, test drive a BMW and report back. You'll understand why some of us rednecks buy them.

I might mention the reason *I* test drove one is a friend had 190,000 miles on his, and when I drove his car, I thought the damn thing was new!

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by wetrat
stock vette? it isn't *too* expensive to get a civic to run faster than a stock vette (when you compare it with buying a brand new car), but even just a supercharged vette with bone stock internals will dust any civic with less than $50k under the hood.

oh, and a civic will only hang from a roll-- traction in a heavily modded civic? nope.. not even an LSD, traction bars and slicks on drag radials will get a boosted civic to hook up.

The Vette has NEVER been known as an "off the line" type car.

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by moot

Jackal, who cares about other owners.  

I do if they are irratating .

.. like you said, are you wearing your clothes for others or yourself?

Cltoths? I surf in the nude. Don`t give me no plastic saddle. I wanna feel that leather when I ride.

 Do you prefer Aces High because of its mechanics, or Il2 for its eye candy?

If Aces High has mechanics , I wish would one of them would fix my planes. They keep breaking.

If you had to choose from a dozen planes which one to fly, while blindfolded except once in the cockpit

If I had to be blindfolded to get in the cockpit, my butt would stay on the ground.

what would hold your attention?

A chick named Maria..............at least she did the last time.